In the blink of an eye, two more months went by. It was now the summer month of August, and the blazing sun cast down a sweltering, oppressive heat.
"Condense qi into the body, disperse throughout the whole body. When the meridians are clear, heaven and earth resonate."
At noon, deep in the mountains within the Reliance Sect's territory, Meng Hao poked at the fire in front of him with one hand, while with the other, he held the Condensation Scripture, reading it carefully.
A short while later, he closed his eyes, silently sensing the gentle wisps of qi within his body. These wisps of qi had appeared two months ago and were treasured by Meng Hao. Now, they were considerably denser than before. Following the incantation and circulation method of the Condensation Scripture, he sat there, continuously guiding these wisps of qi to flow throughout his entire body.
Not long after, Meng Hao opened his eyes. In the distance, a plump figure carrying an axe came running like the wind towards him.
"How is it? How's it going?"
Fatty panted heavily. Although still as plump as before, his body was now stronger. After reaching the spot, he hastily asked.
"It hasn't spread throughout my whole body yet, but I'm certain that in another week, I'll reach the standard of Spirit Condensation Stage One."
Confidence shone in Meng Hao's eyes as he said with a smile.
"I was asking about the chicken!"
Fatty licked his lips, looking at the fire.
"It should be ready."
Meng Hao also licked his lips. He took a piece of firewood and raked the fire. Little Fatty immediately took his axe and dug up the fragrant, roasted wild chicken buried under the ground.
The aroma spread in all directions. The two of them each took half and devoured it.
"It's a good thing that ever since you gained spiritual energy, you've been able to catch wild chickens regularly. Otherwise, we'd surely starve to death. Now, thinking back to life two months ago, I feel like I just woke up from a nightmare…"
Fatty's mouth was full of grease, and, as was his habit, he flattered Meng Hao.
"Most people know how to make these dishes. It's just you who doesn't."
Meng Hao bit into a chicken leg, enunciating each word clearly.
"Oh, if you reach Spirit Condensation Stage One in a week and become an outer sect disciple, what will I do then? I read this incantation, but I don't understand it at all."
Fatty frowned, blinking as he looked at Meng Hao.
"Fatty, only by becoming an outer sect disciple can you go home."
Meng Hao put down the chicken leg in his hand and looked at Fatty.
Fatty fell silent. After a moment, he nodded resolutely.
In a flash, another six days passed. That night, Fatty was already asleep. Meng Hao sat cross-legged in his room. He thought about how, over these four months, apart from chopping firewood, he had almost entirely dedicated his time to sensing qi condensation. He recalled the excitement when the first wisp of qi had appeared two months prior. At this moment, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and circulated the wisps of spiritual energy within his body. A moment later, his mind boomed. In that instant, the spiritual energy that had not fully spread throughout his body in recent days now permeated every corner of his being. A sensation of ethereal lightness, as if about to ascend to immortality, appeared in Meng Hao's mind.
Almost at the same moment Meng Hao's spiritual energy reached Spirit Condensation Stage One, the horse-faced youth, who seemed to have been sitting cross-legged in meditation on the large rock outside his room day and night, slowly opened his eyes. He glanced at Meng Hao's room, then closed his eyes once more.
Early in the morning, under the envious gazes of many people in the northern menial labor area, Meng Hao silently stepped out of the room he had occupied for four months and walked over to the horse-faced youth.
Fatty did not follow. Instead, he stood at the doorway, watching Meng Hao with resolute eyes.
"Four months to reach Spirit Condensation Stage One. It's not considered exceptional talent, but it's not considered foolish either."
The horse-faced young man looked at Meng Hao, his expression no longer indifferent, and calmly spoke.
"Now that you've arrived at the Outer Sect, I will tell you its rules. Although the Outer Sect provides spirit stones and elixirs each month, it does not forbid mutual plunder. It even designates a specific area where killing is openly permitted. You... take care of yourself."
The horse-faced young man said indifferently, waving his hand. A jade slip flew out, landing in front of Meng Hao, who quickly grabbed it.
"Infuse spirit energy into the jade slip, and it will guide you to the Outer Sect's Treasure Pavilion. That is also where disciples who have advanced to the Outer Sect register."
After the horse-faced young man finished speaking, he closed his eyes.
Meng Hao remained silent, lowering his head again. Then he turned and glanced at the fatty. Their eyes met, and Meng Hao sighed inwardly, then stopped thinking too much. He gripped the jade slip in his hand tightly, and the jade slip immediately emitted a soft blue light, slowly floating away.
Meng Hao quickly followed, guided by the jade slip, slowly leaving the Servants' Quarters and walking along a small mountain path. He went further and further, gradually entering an area he hadn't visited in four months.
The Reliance Sect had four main peaks, arranged in the east, west, south, and north. Beyond them were countless mountain ranges, seemingly without end. Halfway up each peak was a Servants' Quarters; for example, the northern peak where Meng Hao lived had the Northern Servants' Quarters. However, these were only halfway up the mountain. If one tried to go higher, there would be a restrictive spell formation, as the peak areas were reserved only for Inner Sect disciples and elders.
All four peaks were like this. As for the plains area between the four peaks, it was filled with buildings; that was the Reliance Sect's Outer Sect.
The Reliance Sect was somewhat different from other sects; the Outer Sect was below, while the Servants' Quarters were halfway up the mountainside. It was unclear why the Reliance Old Ancestor had established this rule back then.
From the outside, the area was shrouded in mist, but the moment one stepped inside, the mist immediately dissipated. Before Meng Hao, carved railings and jade steps were everywhere, pavilions dotted the landscape, and even the paths were paved with stone. Many Outer Sect disciples, dressed in green robes, moved about, and as Meng Hao passed, some of them cast glances his way.
Those gazes carried disdain and no goodwill whatsoever. Meng Hao felt as if he was being stared at by ferocious beasts, which reminded him of what the horse-faced Senior Brother had said about the Outer Sect.
Not long after, in this Outer Sect area, Meng Hao arrived next to a three-story black pavilion in the south. Although black, it seemed to be carved from jade, making it appear translucent and sparkling.
As Meng Hao approached, the pavilion door silently opened, and a thin, middle-aged man stepped out from within. This man wore a green robe and had a shrewd look about him. He raised his right hand and made a grabbing motion; the jade slip in front of Meng Hao immediately flew into his hand. He glanced at it and said languidly.
"Meng Hao, promoted to Outer Sect disciple. You are rewarded with a room, a green robe, a spirit token, and a storage bag. With that spirit token, you can enter the Treasure Pavilion to obtain a magic treasure."
The shrewd man waved his hand, and a gray pouch immediately fell into Meng Hao's hand.
Meng Hao looked at the gray pouch in his hand, startled. He then remembered that all the Outer Sect disciples he had encountered along the way wore similar pouches.
"Infuse spirit energy into it, and you can store items."
The shrewd man looked at Meng Hao, immediately realizing that the other party certainly had no acquaintances in the outer sect. Otherwise, how could he not even know how to use a storage bag? This thought brought him some relief, and he spoke calmly.
Meng Hao heard this and immediately channeled a bit of spiritual energy from his body into the bag. His vision seemed to blur, and then he perceived a space about half a person's height, containing a few items such as a green robe and a jade slip.
Witnessing this, he was instantly thrilled, thinking to himself that this storage bag alone was worth five gold. Such a treasure could truly be considered an immortal's artifact.
With a thought, a jade slip appeared in his hand. Focusing his attention, he saw that it contained a map depicting the outer sect area, and a room in a secluded corner that would henceforth belong to Meng Hao.
"You can look at it later. The Treasure Pavilion is already open; aren't you going in?"
The shrewd man said coldly.
Meng Hao looked up, tucked the storage bag into his bosom, his gaze fixed on the wide-open doors of the pavilion. He took a deep breath and, filled with anticipation, stepped inside.
The moment he stepped into the Treasure Pavilion, Meng Hao's expression suddenly changed, and he drew in a deep breath.